Lake Ronkonkoma - A Place Worth Caring About

Growing up in suburbia, certain things are taken for granted. Commercial areas mostly consist of bland strip malls, the sidewalks lead to nowhere, you can't get anywhere without a car, young people are either stuck living with their parents or moving out of state, the local environment is neglected, and very few people seem to care. 

The speaker in the TED Talk below explains why and how suburbia developed the way it has in America. Be advised there's some coarse language here and there. You're also likely to find yourself nodding and laughing with cynicism as he characterizes the sad reality that is suburban development since the 1950's.

 "These are places that are not worth caring about."

Ronkonkoma is no exception. As of now, it has little to set itself apart from the neighboring hamlets aside from the few "welcome to Ronkonkoma" signs that no one really notices as they speed by in their cars. It too seems to be a place "not worth caring about" with its "nature band-aids," its poorly defined centers of civic life,  and little unique character. The lake is the one thing Ronkonkoma has that doesn't exist anywhere else on Long Island and much of it is woefully neglected. We should do something about that.

"Do it for Ronkonkoma!"

Though they are few, thankfully there are some who are actually doing something for Ronkonkoma. The new sidewalks, bus stops, and bike lanes on Portion Rd are a pleasant change. The prospect of a new downtown area around the train station gives residents some hope that meaningful urban planning is on its way. 

Despite all this, there are still many more areas in our community that are poorly designed and maintained. We still have our sidewalks to nowhere, our neglected parks, our dirty lake, and many areas that are in desperate need for a complete overhaul in design. I hope that this blog will motivate more of our residents to get active and turn all of Ronkonkoma into a place worth caring about.